Titleblade
by Star Burton
Summary: The Heartless seek their revange on Sora, when the only one who can help him save Kairi is a minion of shadow itself... SorxKai


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kingdom Hearts

**A/N:** Be gentle, it's my first Kingdom Hearts story. I've been planning it for a year now. Pictures of the stained glass and the Titleblade can be found at www.slipping-star. - pronounced "co-co-row"

If you haven't played Chain of Memories, then you might find this a bit confusing… go to to see the cutscenes for Chain of Memories (it will be put as 'Re:CoM'), choose the subbed version unless you speak Japanese.

**This takes place directly after Sora asks about the door to light after the credits in Kingdom Hearts II.**

Chapter 1

Riku chuckled, sliding off the tree. Sora stood up, his head barely reached the white haired boy's shoulders. The teenager tapped his friend's chest. "This."

Sora brought his gloved hand to his shirt. "This?"

Riku nodded. "It's always closer than you think."

Sora smiled.

"Sora, Riku!" Both turned to see Kairi, their female companion (and previous love prize), run across the bridge to the small outer island.

"Hey, what's up?" Sora asked, looking down at his panting partner.

"Look." she said, holding up a bottle. It contained a rolled up parchment, three circles arranged strangely as a seal.

"From the king?" Sora exclaimed, taking the bottle and removing the cork. He unrolled it and the trio began to read.

_Dear Sora,_

_Hello, King Mickey here. Everything's swell in the Castle. The Heartless haven't touched our world since you saved us. Donald and Daisy aren't bickering quite as much, and there are three new additions to our garden; bushes shaped as you, Kairi, and Riku! But I didn't send this letter to simply report about our world; I sent it to tell you of a friend. She is coming to meet you. I promised not to tell who she is, but you will recognize her. Don't judge her by appearance. She will be a bit… different._

_The King_

_P.S. Take good care of Kairi._

The two boys looked at Kairi. "I don't know!" she answered, shrugging.

They looked back at the letter. "A friend… who could it be?" Sora asked his friends.

"It can't be Donald or Goofy, because it's a girl." Riku said, pointing to the 'she' in the letter.

"Maybe the Queen or Daisy…?."

Sora shrugged. "Perhaps…."

"I guess we'll know when she comes." Riku said as Sora rolled up the letter, sticking it in his back pocket. A breeze blew and something whizzed past their heads, Sora and Kairi catching either side of it.

"Go figure, a paopu fruit." Riku said, chuckling. Kairi and Sora blushed as the fruit broke in half in their hands. "That absolutely _has_ to be a sign!" Riku laughed, walking back to the island.

- (' . ') -

Sora's feet hit the ground. He looked up, taking in his surroundings. Black surrounded him, a sandy floor beneath him, giving Sora the feeling of being at the bottom of the sea. He took a step and a light shone beneath his shoe. He shielded his eyes as birds spring from the ground, reliving a large stained glass floor. Sora stared at the ground, an unsurprised expression on his face. "So Heartless this time, eh?" he muttered to himself. A Shadow Heartless rested against the frame of the circle, its eyes half opened, reviling pupils in its usually vacant eyes, a purple iris instead of yellow. Its antennae lapped over one of the six circles of the top circle, Organization XIII's symbol in the center circle. Sora was in the circle above the Heartless's head, Riku the circle under, Kairi in the top one, Naminé to the right, and Roxas under her. The Heatless symbol circled the Shadow Heartless, blue, green, and magenta following in order to the rim. Behind the Heartless was a green forest, peaceful and bright. Sora brought his eyes up from the glass, walking forward. He stopped in the center. Turning his head this way and that, he crossed his arms. "Okay… either I'm looking for a light, a voice, or a really big enemy."

"Hello."

"Ahh!!" Sora jumped and spun around to see a girl. Her hair was silver, a golden robe about her. Her hair stopped at her chin, shoulders, and then the middle of her back. She wore a key about her neck.

"Who are you?" Sora asked.

"I…." the girl floated over to Sora, raising a finger. "Am a figure of your imagination!" she said, her tone perky and happy. Sora fell over in astonishment. The girl crouched down to Sora's face. "I'm also the spirit of the Keyblade."

Sora sat up, crossing his legs and grabbing his ankles. "Now that makes more sense."

"I am here to ask you something." the Keyblade's spirit stood up and began to pace, her tone becoming serious. "Keyblade Master, Keybearer, Friend, Lover, Companion, Brother, Son, Child, Destined One," She stopped and turned to face Sora, who was standing by now. "And Sora. Which of these names is truly yours?"

Sora looked down, deep in thought. "My name… My name…." he clinched his fist, then brought it to spread across his chest. "I am Sora, so one else." he said, taking a step forward.

"It that your final decision?"

Sora nodded.

The Keyblade's spirit lifted her right hand, cupping it slightly. He eyes closed and she once again began to float. Light swirled in her hand, taking a strange form. The light settled to form a solid. A silver crown sat as the charm of the chain, which connected to a quiet boxy S. A boxy O, R, and, a side-ways A stacked on top of it, forming a key-like shape, the letters spelling out 'S-O-R-A'.

"Sora…." the Keyblade's spirit marveled at her work for a moment. "If this is your title…." she shifted to a fighting position, the new Keyblade in striking stance. "Then take it from, me and win Titleblade!"

A wooden Keyblade appeared in Sora's hand. He looked down at his weapon. Clinching it tightly in his fists, he bent to his own attack mode. "I accept your challenge!" he called out, and the two ran towards each other, Keyblades meeting with a clash. They slid off of each other, Sora, sliding under the Keyblade's arm, taking a slash at her back. She smiled and ducked, the wooden Keyblade missing her.

"I'm the Keyblade's spirit; I know those moves! You've gotta come up with something new!" she called out, and she lashed out at his stomach, the contact confirmed with the grunt that escaped Sora. He jumped back and slid on the ground, his hand slowing himself down and the other gripping his stomach and Keyblade. The Keyblade's spirit turned around and slung the Titleblade over her shoulder, tapping it against her back.

"That's all you got? Maybe you aren't as worthy as I thought." she said, her jade eyes bored and unamused. Sora gritted his teeth and looked up, darting at the Keyblade's spirit. She smiled. "I know that o-" She was cut off as Sora sprang into the air, flipping over her head and bringing the Keyblade down on her back.

"And you forget I know your weaknesses." he said, a sly grin on his face. The Keyblade's spirit fell to her knee, panting. "I guess I did choose well." she said, looking over her shoulder with a smile. Sora returned the expression. Titleblade disappeared from her hand reappear in place of Sora's wooden one.

"You won it." she said, beginning to disintegrate as the Titleblade disappeared.

"Wait, where's the keychain?" He asked.

"You already have it." she said, the last of her gone.

- (' . ') -

Sora sat up with a start. He looked around, opening the drawer that held his keychains. "It's not here…" he pondered. Her check his pockets, clothes; he ended up cleaning his room in search for his new keychain. His mother opened the door, witnessing his put away the last of his things. She gasped as tears formed in her eyes. "Sora's cleaning on his own!" she exclaimed. "I'll go get the camera!" she cried.

"Wait, mom!" Sora called after her, but she was already down the hallway. He ran back into his room and tugged on his clothes, jumped into his shoes and grabbed his keychains, jumping out the window and shutting it behind him. He turned to the island, which looked strangely dark, and shadowed. He headed over to it.

Upon his arrival he found both Kairi and Riku wondering about the beach, looking up at the dark sky.

"Guys, what's going on?" Sora called out to the two, stopping beside them.

"That's what we want to know." Riku said, looking up at the sky. They heard a familiar whirling sound, and Sora and Riku summoned their Keyblades, moving in front of Kairi. A darkness portal appeared and a Shadow ran out. Sora struck the Keyblade out to dispose of the enemy, only to meet an opposing force. The little Shadow Heartless poked it head around the Keyblade. "I don't want to fight you!" it called out. Sora flew back into Kairi's arm, hugging her neck as she cluelessly cradled him. "IT TALKED!!!!!!" he cried, tears in his eyes, his spiky hair on end.

"Scream later, we've got to get Kairi out of here! Follow me!" the Heartless exclaimed, running toward the darkness portal, which turned out to be gray. It turned around to find that only Sora had moved; out of Kairi's arms.

"Why should we follow some talking Heartless into a darkness portal that doesn't look like darkness portal?!" He exclaimed.

"Look, I'd like to talk more too, but we've got get Kairi out of here, the Heartless are-"

"Already here." Riku finished its sentence, moving into a fighting stance. All around them heartless swarmed up from the darkness. Kairi let out a cry as a shadow pool beneath her twisted about her legs and sucked her in.

"Kairi!" Sora called out, missing her by an inch. The Heartless returned to their shadows, leaving the beach as it was.

"This is bad, they're no longer discrete." the Heartless muttered. It looked back up at Sora. "Now do you believe me?" it asked, extending its hand. Sora hesitated, but took its hand. The Heartless led them into the gray portal, arriving in a lush, green forest.

"What the…?" Riku muttered.

The Heartless walked in front of the two boys. "Welcome to the Gray Realm." it said, gesturing to the large forest.

"But, the Grey Realm doesn't look like this, I've been here before!" Riku exclaimed.

"The realms are shaped by the Keyblade, and the Keyblade is shaped by the Keybearer. So, if Sora finds this place a safe heaven, this it shall be."

"Then how come it was gray before?"

"The Realms are shaped when in the presence of the Keybearer." It said.

Riku didn't say anything in return.

"You're the Heartless from the stained glass!" Sora exclaimed, squatting down to meet it's purple, pupiled eyes.

"Indeed?" it said; a question in its voice.

Sora nodded. "What's your name?"

"Kokoro."

"_Heart?_" Riku muttered. He turned around to face their guide. "I haven't met you before, have I?"

"Come, we need to set up camp." Kokoro said, running to the forest.

Sora ran after her, leaving Riku to think. He shook his head and went to catch up with his brown-haired friend.

- (' . ') -

Want more? Review!

P.S. I tried betaing it the best I could, Eva-san….


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